The ramblings of a pilgrim through time, space, and life.

Menu

Family History Class #1 Outline

I have received a number of requests for an outline of sorts for what is being taught in the new FamilySearch classes. Mostly overseas, here is a quick summary of the first lesson.

The first class deals with the basics of the program and what its strengths and capacity is. Most of the individuals who are attending the classes already have signed in a played with the program to a certain degree. I still walk them through the registration process. Once we enter the program, the first thing we touch on is claiming submissions to Pedigree Resource File, Ancestral File, IGI submissions, and other various submissions. I have them search an individual they have submitted in the past, find the contributors, find the one that is them, click on it, and click on the link to declare the legacy as their own. For the most part, this will claim all submissions the person has submitted. I have heard of being required to find other submissions done under a maiden name or under another address.

Next, I take them through the program generally. I look up an individual and give them an overview of the pedigree view and then of each of the tabs down the left side of the program. We work through the summary page discussing how to make certain information dominant over other information. We discuss the notes at the bottom, the sources button, and the combined records button. We don’t spend much time on the first page since much of the manipulation possible here is done more on the Details tab (the tabs are available there too). But I do point them out. I point out that if information has been made dominant then we can click on the individual who made it dominant and can e-mail them with suggestions, questions, or complaints.

On the details page we discuss the information listed and available. How sparingly we use the dispute option except for blatantly wrong information. If it is that off, perhaps we should check to see if we have a merged individual who should not have been merged (on the summary page for unlinking). On the details page I show them how to make a dispute and how to remove it. I show them how to add a source and how to remove it.

I show them the LDS Ordinances tab. I point out what the ordinances needed, ordinances in process, and ordinances completed buttons look like. I show them how to reserve ordinances and explain that only the oldest ordinances for a person show. We don’t spend much time on the map or timeline tabs since they don’t have much value for genealogy and the maps is often wrong (It doesn’t always pull the dominant information, or assumes information sometimes).

We walk through the Parents and Siblings tab along with the Spouses and Children tab. I show them where how they can merge siblings who are the same individuals. I show them how to merge parents and spouses. I emphasize the fact that very, very rarely should we dispute an individual. Rather we should dispute the relationship to the mother, the father, or both. But if we dispute the person, even if linked into the wrong family, we are disputing the person in all families in which they fall. Only dispute the relationship, not the individual.

While working through the whole above scenario, I answer the wide variety of questions people pose. How to merge a couple when the same individuals are listed as male and female (an example of my own is a Pleasant Bayes, some list him as a girl, but he is a male).

I had to interrupt my writing to eat dinner. Amanda made some amazing Jambalaya and steamed broccoli. It was very, very tasty.

Anyhow, I will have to write more another time. I finished my first memo today, but now I should be reading Contracts. I should sleep well tonight! Hopefully no nightmares with the mix of jambalaya and contracts!